Stable explosive composition containing a polyhydric alcohol nitrate and alkali metal salicylate



United States Patent flice STABLE EXPLOSIVE CGMPOSITIGN CONTAINING A POLDRIC ALCOHOL NITRATE AND AL- KALI METAL SALICYLATE Silas D. Lewis, New Britain, Pa, assignor to Atlas Chemical Industries, Inc, Wilmington, DeL, a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Filed Oct. 15, 1964, Ser. No. 404,179

11 Claims. (Cl. 149-401) This invention relates to the stabilization of explosive organic nitrates and more particularly, to stabilized explosive organic nitrate compositions and to their method of preparation.

Organic nitrates have been used for explosive purposes for years but they frequently possess a tendency to be un stable in that they decompose somewhat on storage. Generally, the shelf life of these products is decreased with elevation of storage temperature. These nitrated materials during storage emit oxides of nitrogen as a result of a thermal decomposition process. These oxides of nitrogen which are produced during this process are believed in turn to act upon the remaining explosive organic nitrates in combination therewith causing further decomposition. In that sense, the break down of the organic nitrates by nitrogen oxides takes on the character of a chain reaction which can result in sufficient decomposition to render the explosive nitrates commercially unacceptable. Thus, when the subject organic nitrates are stored at room temperature or slightly elevated temperatures there results a deterioration of the explosive product.

The polyhydric alcohol nitrates, mannitol hexanitrate, sorbitol hexanitrate, gelatinized nitroglycerin and dulcitol hexanitrate are representative of the group of organic nitrates the instability of which it is frequently desired to improve.

An object of this invention is to provide explosive organic nitrates possessing greatly improved stability at room and normal storage temperatures.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method of stabilizing explosive organic nitrate compositions.

The novel compositions of this invention comprise a mixture of an organic nitrate such as mannitol hexanitrate, sorbitol hexanitrate, .gelatinized nitroglycerin or dulcitol hexanitrate with an alkali metal salicylate stabilizing agent. Sodium, potassium and lithium are exemplary of eifective alkali metal salicylate stabilizing agents in the subject explosive compositions.

It has been discovered that by intimately mixing a minor amount of an alkali metal salicylate with a nitration product of a polyhydric alcohol an explosive organic nitrate composition is obtained which possesses greatly improved thermal stability and shelf life.

Suflicient alkali metal salicylate should be used in explosive organic nitrate compositions to provide the amount of stabilization desirable under the conditions to which the organic nitrate is to be subjected. It would usually be found that amounts much below do not produce sufiicient stabilization for commercial purposes, on the other hand amounts of alkali metal salicylate above about 15 do not normally add to the stabilizing efiect to any extent which will compensate for their diluent effect. For this reason, it is usually preferred that the amount of alkali metal salicylate employed be within the range of from about 5% to about 15% by Weight of the explosive organic nitrate being stabilized.

The invent-ion will be more readily understood from a consideration of the following examples of a preferred embodiment.

Example 1 Sorbitol hexanitrate was prepared by nitrating sorbitol With 96% nitric acid in acetic anhydride and acetic acid 3,316,132 Patented Apr. 25, 1967 by known method. A quantity of stabilized sorbitol hexanitrate weighing 2.664 grams and containing 0.247 grams of sodium salicylate was prepared by intimately mixing the tWo ingredients. The particle size of both the sorbitol hexanitrate and sodium salicylate was less than No. 30 USS mesh.

This sample was stored in open room conditions and the weight loss was determined periodically. After 52 days of standing at ambient room temperature the sample l-ost 0.19% of its weight.

The addition of the sodium salicylate contributed unusual stability to the sorbitol hexanitrate composition.

Example 2 A sample of sorbitol hexanitrate weighing 3.495 grams was prepared. No alkali metal salicylate stabilizer was incorporated.

The sample was stored under conditions and for a time identical to that cited in Example 1. At the end of this storage period the sample lost 18% of its weight.

What is claimed is:

1. A composition comprising a polyhydric alcohol ni trate and an alkali metal salicylate.

2. A composition of claim 1 wherein the polyhydric alcohol nitrate is selected from the group consisting of mannitol hexanitrate, sorbitol hexanitrate, gelatinized nitroglycerin and dulcitol hexanitrate.

3. A composition of claim 1 wherein the alkali metal of the salicylate is selected from the group consisting of potassium, sodium and lithium.

4. A composition of claim 1 wherein the polyhydric alcohol nitrate is a nitration product of a polyhydric alcohol selected from the group consisting of mannitol, sorbitol, glycerin and dulcitol.

5. A composition of claim 1 wherein about 5-15 by weight of an alkali metal salicylate is present, based on the total weight of polyhydric alcohol nitrate.

6. An explosive organic nitrate composition comprising sorbitol hexanitrate, and about 5-15% by weight of sodium salicylate based on the total weight of sorbitol hexanitrate.

7. The method of stabilizing a polyhydric alcohol nitrate compound comprising intimately mixing a polyhydric alcohol nitrate with an alkali metal salicylate.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the polyhydric alcohol nitrate compound is selected from the group consisting of mannitol hexanitrate, sorbitol hexanitrate, gelatinized nitroglycerin and dulcitol hexanitrate.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the alkali metal of the salicylate is selected from the group consisting of potassium, sodium and lithium.

10. The method of stabilizing a polyhydric alcohol nitrate compound comprising intimately mixing a polyhydric alcohol nitrate with about 515% by weight, based on total weight of said polyhydric alcohol nitrate, of an alkali metal salicylate.

11. The method of stabilizing sorbitol hexanitrate comprising intimately mixing sorbitol hexanitrate with about 515% by weight, based on the total weight of sorbitol hexanitrate, of sodium salicylate.

References Cited by the Examiner 2,616,920 11/1952 Lawrence 260-467 CARL D. QUARFORTH, Primary Examiner. BENJAMIN R. PADGETT, Examiner. S. I. LECHE'RT, JR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COMPOSITION COMPRISING A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL NITRATE AND AN ALKALI METAL SALICYLATE.
 7. THE METHOD OF STABILIZING A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL NITRATE COMPOUND COMPRISING INTIMATELY MIXING A POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL NITRATE WITH AN ALKALI METAL SALICYLATE. 